Abraham’s five tests
Walk the tests as a pastoral map: leave, let Lot choose, refuse Sodom’s spoils, send Ishmael, and offer Isaac. Faith is proven on the road, not in the…
Lesson 2 · Course 50
Noah through Joseph
Genesis 7–50: after the flood, through Abraham’s family, to Joseph in Egypt.
At a glance
Summary
Genesis 7–50: after the flood, through Abraham’s family, to Joseph in Egypt. After the flood, God does not start from nothing — the Noahic covenant continues the Edenic story with new mercy (and a bow in the cloud).
Big ideas
What to teach and remember
- After the flood, God does not start from nothing — the Noahic covenant continues the Edenic story with new mercy (and a bow in the cloud).
- Babel is judgment and mission at once: confused languages scatter the nations so that one day every tongue will praise the Lord.
- Abraham is called so that all families of the earth will be blessed. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all look back to him — but the gospel keeps the promise through Isaac, not through our shortcuts.
- Ishmael is a warning for the pulpit: helping God along is not great faith. Waiting on the promise is.
- Isaac and Joseph both preach Christ in type — the beloved son, the one who goes down and is raised up for the saving of many. Rebekah, coming to the son, is a picture of the church.
- Job sits early in this world — older than the Greek tragedies — and teaches us to speak of suffering without cheap answers.
Key terms
People, places, and words that matter
Joseph as a type of Christ
Beloved of the father, hated by his brothers, sold, falsely accused, raised to the right hand, and the savior of the hungry. Preach the type with a light touch…
Types in Genesis 24
Abraham’s servant seeks a bride for the son. Rebekah leaves her world to meet Isaac. It is a quiet picture of the Father sending, the Spirit seeking, and the…
Babel
Babel is judgment and mission at once: confused languages scatter the nations so that one day every tongue wi
Abraham
Abraham is called so that all families of the earth will be blessed
Ishmael
Ishmael is a warning for the pulpit: helping God along is not great faith
Covenant
After the flood, God does not start from nothing — the Noahic covenant continues the Edenic story with new mercy (and a bow in the cloud).
Structure
Outline / timeline
- Abraham’s five tests
- Joseph as a type of Christ
- Types in Genesis 24
Must remember
Facts to keep straight
| Quiz score | 100% (1 attempt) |
|---|---|
| Covenant | After the flood, God does not start from nothing — the Noahic covenant continues the Edenic story with new mercy (and a bow in the cloud). |
| Key claim | Babel is judgment and mission at once: confused languages scatter the nations so that one day every tongue will praise the Lord. |
| Key claim | Abraham is called so that all families of the earth will be blessed. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all look back to him — but the gospel… |
For the pulpit
Sermon hooks
- Ishmael is a warning for the pulpit: helping God along is not great faith.
- Isaac and Joseph both preach Christ in type — the beloved son, the one who goes down and is raised up for the saving of many.
- Walk the tests as a pastoral map: leave, let Lot choose, refuse Sodom’s spoils, send Ishmael, and offer Isaac.
- Preach the type with a light touch — Joseph points; Jesus fulfills.
Quiz drill
Quiz drill / review · open to practice · 10 items
Question wording reconstructed from session notes.
Quiz score: 100% · 1 attempt
1. The Noahic Covenant was a continuation of the Edenic covenant with added aspects.
TrueGod does not discard the first story; He carries it forward with new terms of mercy after the flood.
2. The confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel resulted in the dissemination of people throughout the earth.
TrueJudgment scattered the nations — the map of the world begins here.
3. The Ebla texts, found in Syria and dating to the time of Abraham, indicated that Sodom was a real place.
TrueThe patriarchal stories sit in real geography, not in myth.
4. Abraham is identified as the father of three great religions.
TrueJudaism, Christianity, and Islam all look back to Abraham — preach the promise with that in view.
5. When Abraham obeyed God, God gave him the Abrahamic Covenant.
TrueThe covenant meets a man on the road of obedience, not on the sofa of delay.
6. The birth of Ishmael showed Abraham’s great faith.
FalseIshmael is the fruit of a shortcut. Great faith waits for Isaac.
7. Abraham was never outside the will of God.
FalseEgypt, Hagar, and half-truths about Sarah are in the record. Grace keeps the promise anyway.
8. Isaac is a type of the church.
FalseIsaac is a type of Christ; Rebekah, coming to him, is a type of the church.
9. Joseph is a type of the church.
FalseJoseph is a type of Christ — rejected, suffered, raised to save many (Genesis 50:20).
10. The book of Job was penned soon after the Greek tragedies.
FalseJob is earlier — before 1400 BC — not a late echo of Greece.
Essay themes
If you preach or review
Abraham’s five tests
Walk the tests as a pastoral map: leave, let Lot choose, refuse Sodom’s spoils, send Ishmael, and offer Isaac. Faith is proven on the road, not in the brochure. Each test asks whether the promise is enough.
Joseph as a type of Christ
Beloved of the father, hated by his brothers, sold, falsely accused, raised to the right hand, and the savior of the hungry. Preach the type with a light touch — Joseph points; Jesus fulfills.
Types in Genesis 24
Abraham’s servant seeks a bride for the son. Rebekah leaves her world to meet Isaac. It is a quiet picture of the Father sending, the Spirit seeking, and the church coming to Christ.